Douglas Bryce, Partner, Corporate

Notable Matters

• Ontario Pension Board in its joint $4.5 billion unsolicited takeover bid with KingSett Capital for Primaris Retail REIT and subsequent negotiated plan of arrangement transaction with H&R REIT and Primaris.
• Equinox Minerals in connection with both its $7.3 billion acquisition by Barrick Gold Corporation in June 2011 and its $4.8 billion unsolicited bid for Lundin Mining in March 2011 (Lexpert Deal of the Year for 2011). 
• Kinross Gold in connection with its $7.7 billion acquisition of Red Back Mining Inc. in September 2010 (largest M&A transaction in Canada in 2010).  
• Canadian counsel to Madison Dearborn Partners in its $100 million acquisition of a controlling interest in QuickPlay Media Inc.
• Canadian counsel to Rockwood Holdings, Inc. in its $724 million offer to acquire Talison Lithium Ltd. of Australia
• Belden Inc. in its $280 million unsolicited bid for RuggedCom Inc.
• Kinross Gold in connection with various other M&A transactions, including (i) the $1.2 billion acquisition of Aurelian Resources in September 2008; (ii) the $140 million acquisition of Underworld Resources, a TSX-listed company, in April 2010 (iii) its $150 million direct and indirect investment in Harry Winston Diamonds and the Diavik diamond mine in March 2009, and subsequent disposition of same in July 2010; and (iv) its asset swap with Goldcorp in December 2007 involving the Porcupine and Musselwhite mining joint ventures in Ontario, Canada and the La Coipa mine in Chile.
• Goldman Sachs in its purchase in March 2010 of the La Francia mine and related infrastructure assets in Columbia from Coalcorp.
• Vale in connection with its acquisition of various Canadian potash interests in Saskatchewan from Rio Tinto.
• OPTrust in its acquisition of Oceanex Income Fund, a publicly-traded income trust involved in the shipping business.
• Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation on various M&A transactions, including its purchases of MediSystem Technologies and the HealthAccess devision of Calea Ltd.
• James Richardson International in its “white knight” bid for Agricore United, and subsequent negotiated transaction with Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.
• Dana Gas of Dubai in its $1.1 billion acquisition of Centurion Energy International Inc.
• Inco Limited in its response to the unsolicited takeover bids from Teck Cominco and CVRD, and its proposed three-way combination with Phelps Dodge Corporation and Falconbridge Limited.
• China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in the US$4.3 billion acquisition by its wholly-owned subsidiary, CNPC International, of PetroKazakhstan Inc.
• Placer Dome Inc. in its response to the unsolicited bid from Barrick Gold Corporation and subsequent negotiated $10.4 billion acquisition.
• Various underwriting syndicates in the 2005 recapitalization and restructuring of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool into a corporate structure, and six subsequent public debt and equity offerings by the Pool (since renamed Viterra Inc.).